Archive

Most everybody today would prefer to watch an online video than read text on a website. Why? If done properly, videos can transfer A LOT of information in a short period of time, while at the same time capturing the complete attention span of the viewer in an entertaining and engaging way.

Viewers prefer video and companies see increased sales from using video marketing in their communications; however there still exists a hesitation by many to create videos.

Why? There is a widely accepted misunderstanding that the only two forms of video are (1) the inexpensive, homemade, and unprofessional videos and (2) the expensive, professionally produced, out-of-your-budget-range videos. Most companies are hesitant to associate their brand with a YouTube quality video, however, most are also unwilling to invest a seemingly inordinate about of money to have a video produced.

What if there was a middle ground? Find below three examples of videos and their associated costs.

Option 1 (Total cost of creation $39): A company overview video. Technology today allows you to type in a few text phrases, upload a few pictures, upload some short videos, and the output is a very professionally produced video that includes transitions and background music. Vipe recently added a video just like this to our homepage using a technology created by Animoto.com. Total cost? $39. What’s better is that with our account we can create unlimited videos, make unlimited revisions, and even download the file so we don’t have to pay for another month’s use if we don’t want to create any more videos. We also used Camtasia to make the video snippets in our overview video, and considering they offer a 30 day free trial, using it won’t affect the total cost. Should I want to continue with both Animoto and Camtasia the total investment for unlimited use is $39/month and $299, respectively. Furthermore, Camtasia is great for recording product demos and “how to” support and training videos.

Option 2 (Total cost of creation $145). An introductory “talking head” video adding personalization to my own communications with prospects and customers. Click here to see an example. With a FlipVideo and small tripod we were able to record this video. What’s better is that we can make unlimited videos like this once we have the camera and tripod, and furthermore, the videos can also be customer testimonials, messages from other’s in our organization, or if we were a hotel or physical location, we could record the property, sample setups, local amenities, etc.

Option 3 (Total cost of creation $595). A professionally produced video inclusive of a branded introduction, integrated photos / screen shots, music and professionally edited FlipVideo footage. Click here to see a sample. This service, and others related to video production are offered by Pixability, noting that as you add additional services (like an onsite crew), you will also begin to increase the price.

Incorporating video marketing worthy of representing your brand into your strategy can be done for the cost of a client lunch. Most every organization that we have experience with in taking the first step has seen almost immediate benefit – as is suggested by the statistics presented at the beginning of this article.

As quoted by Gordon Gekko in the now classic Wall Street movie, “The most valuable commodity I know of is information.” All of the above solutions are reasonably priced ways to take the first step in experiencing how video marketing can help you increase traffic to your website, leads, and sales. If you didn’t already know about them, here’s to sharing!